WASHINGTON: Democrat Ghazala Hashmi has been elected as the new Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. She secured 1,272,699 votes, defeating her Republican rival John Reed, who received 1,043,090 votes.
Senator Ghazala Hashmi, who contested the lieutenant governor’s race, is the first Muslim and South Asian American woman to serve in the Virginia Senate.
A seasoned educator and advocate for inclusivity and social justice, Hashmi’s legislative priorities include public education, voting rights, protection of democracy, reproductive freedom, prevention of gun violence, environmental sustainability, affordable housing, and accessible healthcare.
Born in Hyderabad, India, in 1964 to Tanveer and Zia Hashmi, Ghazala moved to Georgia at the age of four with her mother and elder brother to join her father, who was completing a Ph.D. in international relations and beginning a teaching career.
According to media reports, Hashmi spent her early years in her maternal grandparents’ home, where her grandfather worked for the Andhra Pradesh government’s finance department.
She was raised in a small college town during the period when racial segregation in public schools was ending. Witnessing efforts to bridge cultural, racial, and socioeconomic divides deeply influenced her belief in building inclusive communities and fostering dialogue.
